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How the Finnegans Saved the Ship: Jackie French

This mini unit is based on the story “How the Finnegans Saved the Ship” by Jackie French. The students will complete tasks in Reading, Writing and Talking and Listening based on the text. They will record the scene where the Finnegans leave Ireland and they will add thought bubbles. They will examine an historical diary entry. They will explore the reasons why the Finnegans are travelling to Australia and record what they know about the characters. The students will create a map of the journey taken by the Finnegans. In writing, they will jointly construct and then independently construct an historical diary entry from a character’s point of view and an exposition based on the topic “Australia is the best place in the world to live.” In Talking and Listening, the students will participate in a small group discussion about migration. They will hot seat a character from the story and listen to a guest speaker talk about migrating to Australia. The students will orally present their exposition to a small group.